Moscow shutting down Amnesty, Human Rights Watch

In its continued assault on the truth. Moscow has announced that it is shutting down the local offices in Russia of two of the world’s most respected organisations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The two organisations who have been working in the country for more than 30 years have fallen foul of legislation introduced by the Kremlin at the beginning of the war as it tried to control the narrative.

The announcement on Friday April 8^th came on the 44th day of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, where the war has not gone according to plan. That and almost daily reports of human rights abuses by Russia forces has prompted Moscow to force the closure of the two offices.

Human Rights Watch

Rachel Denber, Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia division at Human Rights Watch, told AFP: “The Russian government had already made it abundantly clear that it has no use for any facts, regarding the protection of civilians in Ukraine. This is just one small further proof of that.”

Denber, who previously directed the watchdog’s Moscow office, added that the closure of their office would not stop their work in Russia saying: “HRW has been working on Russia since the Soviet era, when it was a closed totalitarian state.

“We found ways of documenting human rights abuses then, and we will do so in the future.” 

Amnesty International

Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, confirmed that the organisation would also continue its work in Russia saying: “We will redouble our efforts to expose Russia’s egregious human rights violations both at home and abroad.

“In a country where scores of activists and dissidents have been imprisoned, killed or exiled, where independent media has been smeared, blocked or forced to self-censor, and where civil society organizations have been outlawed or liquidated, you must be doing something right if the Kremlin tries to shut you up.”

An assault on liberty

Russia has taken off at least 15 international aid and human rights organisations registry due to “violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation.” Russia also shut down the local offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Aga Khan Foundation, the Wspolnota Polska Association and other organisations.

Russian authorities have cracked down on dissent and independent journalism labelling organisations “foreign agents” and those who speak out against the war “traitors”.

The shutting down of Amnesty and Human Rights Watch in Russia is reminiscent of the soviet-era and is taking the country back to the dark days of Stalin and the Cold War.

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